culture
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Intentional Meals Together?
“Cook at home and enjoy family meals.” I read these words recently in the newly updated food guide… Thanks to a young friend recently visiting from Germany, who inspired us, I have been encouraged to ALSO include EVERY family member in the making of suppers, no matter the initial headaches, and turn them into a…
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Spiritual Abuse?
Spiritual abuse is not a widely discussed topic. It occurs when a leader manipulates people to achieve selfish goals. Most abusers are unaware of the harm they inflict. Internal factors contributing to an abusive environment are: Christians wanting to trust their leaders; not wanting to be disloyal; not wanting to be “a problem”; and accommodating…
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‘Doing’ Church – “We make victims of our heroes.”
“Doing” Church in North America – “We make victims of our heroes.” Graham Cooke brilliantly describes how “doing” church today must start with leaders who can model freedom. He goes onto say that church revolves around 3 types of people: Initiators, Enablers and Resisters. He skillfully describes if that if we have any hopes of accomplishing…
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9 Changes to Make Before a Church Dies
My heart ached when I read this post from Thom Rainer… It triggered pain that I have known… I pray for churches across North America (my heart lies there)… “..Many of our congregations must change. They must change or they will die. I call these churches “the urgent church.” Time is of the essence. If…
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From Word Curses to Blessing – Uncanny Story
Is life a bit nuts for you? …with people’s word curses rather than words of blessing? Do you live in a series of uncanny events? This is my uncanny story. First I needed some Biblical research… {This book pictured takes me back to my Old Testament prophets class in Bible school and my professor weeping over…
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Comparison Steals our Joy
I was asked to prepare a talk on comparison for teens and twenties. Here’s what I learned. (Sources at the bottom.) Comparison washes away God’s plan for us and sidetracks us with someone else’s journey. Questions to ponder: When you play games, are you a good loser? How do you handle winning? Have…
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Sabbatical Learnings: Solitude and Community
Over sabbatical, I pondered the fact that if we spent our lives in absolute solitude listening to Jesus, we could never take in all the richness of His wisdom and presence. Just as it has been penned that all that which Jesus did on earth has not all been written down, we could not comprehend…
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The Disease Called “Perfection”
Be bold about your weaknesses and you will change people’s lives. Be honest about who you actually are, and others will begin to be their actual selves around you. Once you cure yourself of the disease, others will come to you, asking if they can just “talk”. People are desperate to talk. Some of the…
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What Is Perfect Love?
If we are more self-conscious than ever, with the ones we “love”, that is not love… but fear. Our ‘love’ is unmasked as a battle in manipulation and power – one person using another to make them feel good, even in a pecking order, or to simply chase away loneliness. True love is… safe,… forgiving……
Following and Trusting : Encountering God Out of the Box 